


The Bait

by nityge



Category: Homeland
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-11
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2018-01-08 00:45:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1126373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nityge/pseuds/nityge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>These are some thoughts how Homeland Season 4 might be continued.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have added a prologue which deals with the extensive dispute of Carrie and Quinn.

Since the baby was born Carrie has been staying with her family. Her sister and dad are trying everything to ease the situation for her. But from the beginning she has been awfully stressed. For the slightest reason she would be freaking out. The screaming and crying are one side. The bigger cause for concern is her total lack of affection to her newborn. One day Quinn is showing up at her dad’s place.

“Hi! Quinn. What’s up?” she offers him to come in.

“Just wanted to visit you and baby Mathison” he replies with a smile. “You look great.”

“Actually I’m looking like shit.” She rolls with her eyes. ”Want a coffee?”

“Yup. Where’s the rest of the family? He is looking around.

“Maggie has gone to work. Dad has taken the chance to go to CVS while the baby is sleeping.” She takes him to the kitchen.

“How is she?” Quinn watches her closely while she is preparing fresh coffee.

“Just doing fine. Sleeping, drinking, filling diapers that’s her day.”

“So, she is keeping you busy! I cannot imagine you changing a stinky diaper.” He smiles at her. “No further resentments to motherhood then?”

She ignores his question and continues to prepare the coffee. But she cannot trick Quinn. He can feel her rising tension. But he knows it would be stupid to put pressure on her. So he just keeps watching her.

When she finally turns to hand over his coffee, her eyes are filled with tears.

He takes her hands not able to say a word. He keeps waiting until she bucks up.

“I cannot be her mother, Quinn. I can’t. It’s impossible.”

“Cause?” he is asking still holding her hands.

“Cause I feel nothing, not the slightest thing. It is like she is not mine.” She takes her hands out of his. “I am leaving to Istanbul in two weeks. It is all set up.”

“You are giving up on her?” Quinn looks quite annoyed. “I thought, she is a child of love, your love with Brody. What would he have said to this if he had survived?”

“That would have changed everything.” She states with utter conviction. “I would not have to make a decision between job or family. We would have left everything behind …”

“I doubt that.” He interrupts her. “You would still struggle. You love your job; you are simply obsessed with it. And a vivid Brody would not have changed that.”

“Fuck you Quinn. Are you telling me that I didn’t love him?” Her face is now filling with rage.

“I think it wasn’t a healthy love which would end in family.” Unintentionally Quinn had entered a dangerous mine field.

“So it was a mad love? A meaningless obsession? Because I am just a fucking bipolar with a bad fucking taste?” She is yelling back at him. “So the child you had fathered is the result of a healthy love. Someone who is living in a glass house shouldn’t throw with stones.”

“I told you I fucked it up.” He replies with increasing uneasiness. The conversation is not running in the right direction.

Carrie has not finished him yet. With the unmistakable **i** nstinct of a well-trained intelligence agent she finds his weak point. “What’s your brilliant idea for my future then? You attend me to Istanbul, help me with the baby, show me the healthy way of love? It’s that what you are dreaming of?”

She can tell by the way Quinn is biting his lips that she hits a mark. She knows it would be better to stop now. But the fury in Carrie Mathison exceeds all her cleverness. “For sure I don’t want to end with an emotional cripple.”

Strike. Her shot is on target.


	2. The bait is in place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chapter “The bait is in place” starts one month after Carrie has gone to Istanbul leaving her child in the care of her father and sister. She has taken Danny Galvez and Fara Sherazi with her. Saul is working as a private intelligence investigator. Quinn has remained in Langley under the command of Dar Adal. Frustrated by his job’s immorality and Carrie’s silent and unfriendly departure he plans to turn in his notice. Meanwhile Carrie is trying to keep Javadi under control. But she has to discover that Javadi’s position in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is not as strong and settled as she thought.

Carrie arrives at her Hotel in Tehran. She is in deep concern about her last phone call with Majid Javadi.

She just has entered her hotel room when her cell phone rings. Her face is freezing when she looks at the caller. She gives a deep sigh when she finally takes the call.

“Hey Dad, what’s going on? Got insomnia? It must be middle of night at your place?” She tries to sound easy.

“It is hard to catch you during normal times. So I just thought to take a chance. Don’t you want to know how the baby is doing?” her father replies.

She tries to ignore the reproach in his husky voice. “Look, I am still settling in. I mean, everything is new. I am a station officer now. I have responsibilities for …”

“You have responsibility for a baby now. “ Her father interrupts her angrily. “That should be your only concern. Not a damned mission in a damned country.”

“We all agreed that it is the best not to take her with me. She is much better with you and Maggie. You are giving her a safe and stable home which I cannot offer her at moment.” She sighs deeply.

“At least you could show that you care about her somehow. You never phone, you never show any affection.”

_‘Because I feel nothing, it is like she has not grown in me for 9 month.’_ But of course she is not saying anything like that because it would upset him even more.

“Even your co-workers are showing more fondness for your baby…” her dad murmurs.

“Which co-workers?” she asks with some interest.

“Virgil is showing up from time to time. And last weekend that dark guy who visited you in hospital turned up.”

“Quinn?” she feels her reluctance rising.

“Yeah, that’s his name. Stiff man somehow, but he was a melting pot with the baby in his arms. Even helped me to fix the playpen.”

Carrie frowns in disbelief, her eyes wide open. She tries to imagine Quinn refurbishing something. What a witty thought.

“So you got a new project?” she asks with jacked interest.

“Yeah, you should see the result. Our little girl loves it. She’s rolling around the whole time.” Her dad’s voice has smoothened.

Carrie is taking her chance “Dad. That sounds great. Send a picture of my little girl which I can keep in the office. I have to finish now. Business is calling.”

When Carrie ends the call she feels cramped. She gets up and looks at her mirror reflection. Taking a deep breath she is stretching her shoulders and raising her head. No time for regrets she doesn’t feel. She would never feel. She takes on a headscarf and leaves the room.

***

Carrie is meeting Javadi in a carpet dealers store room. She has no eye for the blaze of colors provided by the silky Persian carpets. Her moves are tensed, her senses highly alerted.

Javadi smiles at her: “Here you can see the cradle of our culture. Precious and lasting for eternity.”

“I didn’t come to buy a carpet.” She barks back at him unpleased by his improper charm. “Your call deeply concerned me. What the fuck is going?”

“Well, I didn’t want to bother you. But I might need a little favor. Just a favor among friends.” His mouth is still smiling, but his eyes are turning cold now.

She waits for him to continue trying to conceal her eagerness.

He smacks his lips. “There are signs that Akbari’s two sons are planning something against me.”

“And what plans that might be?” she asks.

“During the past months they increased their control of the Bassidschi brigades in Tehran. They are spreading a lot of money to some military key players. That’s how it works in my country: you throw your money, you are in charge. It is obvious that they want to retrieve their father’s heritage. I am the one who is in their way.” He explains grimly.

“Is there any indication that they have knowledge of your share in their father’s death?” Carrie’s senses are running high _’How much time I do have?’_

“No sign of that. They just want to gain the power that my position would offer them.” And as if he could read her mind “Look, I think you should act fast. Get rid of them. How, that is your problem. Just make it a quickie.” He makes a sign like he is slicing a throat.

Carrie gets pissed. “You think that is how it’s working? We just walk in and kill those two guys.” She shouts out.

Javadi looks quite amused. But his defined voice makes it very clear. He shouts back at her: “That’s exactly how it works. You wanted to play that game. You sacrificed your lover. Now don’t make his death look like a fucking fad of a weak-minded woman. He doesn’t deserve this.”

“Don’t you dare…” she is freaking out.

But he stops her by grabbing her arms. He changes his strategy. “Look Carrie. I know you are not weak. I never met a smarter, stronger woman than you. You made this whole thing worked. Together we can change the history of our nations. We can bring things to a good end.”

And when he is sure she is brooding about his words. “I know you see the truth in my words. It is the only way.”

He got her back in line. “Well, we will figure out a plan. I will inform you about the details and timeline. You have to stay out of sight.”

Javadi’s smile is charming again. “Sure Carrie. I will stay out of sight. I wash my hands of responsibility.”

***

Quinn enters the office of Dar Adal. “You want a talk?”

“Peter! Have a seat.” His boss points to the visitor chair in front of his desk.

“No thanks, Sir. I prefer to stand.” Quinn waits for the elder to place his point. His body is stiff as usual. His face is showing no emotions.

“You turned in your notice. Are you sure about it?” Adal tries to read in the face of the younger.

“Yes Sir. I am very sure. There is nothing that keeps me up.” Quinn replies unemotional.

“So, what are your plans? Joining Saul at his goody two shoes mission?” Adal feels his anger rising.

“That’s an option. Maybe I am just going on a cruise instead. Have you ever been to the Caribbean?” He makes a move to leave the room.

Adal is now clearly pissed off. “Fuck you Peter. You are a skilled black op, an efficient killer. Never seen a better one. Do not believe that you can shake that off like an unwanted suit.”

***

Javadi is sitting in the dark of his home office his face hardly lighted by a weak desk lamp. He is taking his cell phone and dials a number.

“The bait is in place.“ He declares calmly.

The voice on the other line answers: “So we just have to wait for the fish to bite it. Call me, when you got the details. Everything will be prepared.”

***

Carrie is moving in her room like a tiger pacing back and force in its narrowed cage. Then she finally stops. She picks up her cell phone and dials a number. "Our mission is in danger" she states.

Adal is immediately alerted. "Fuck! Carrie! What is going on? Where are you?" Quinn who has been on his way out jerks to a halt. Very slowly he turns and walks back to the desk. He is staring at the phone his face shaded with concern. Adal notices the increasing tension in the younger man. _‘So that’s his Achilles’_ he thinks. _‘Well done Carrie. Right time, right place.’_ He puts the speaker on.

Carrie sounds clearly stressed. "I just met our friend. What he told me, scares the shit out of me. Our mouse is threatened by two cats. I need someone reliable to take them out."

She seems to hesitate for a second. "I need to talk to Quinn. At once!"

Quinn has clenched his fists on the desk. He stares at the speaker with disbelief. Then he lowers his head and replies. "I am here Carrie."


	3. Three sides medal

Carrie is sitting on the floor of the hotel room leaning her back against the bed. Her eyes are closed. The nightfall has covered the room in complete darkness. It seems to be a peaceful situation but that’s a delusion. There is no peace in Carrie Mathison. It has been hours since she talked to Dar Adal and Quinn. Since then she has been sitting there, silent, unable to move. The angst has taken control over her. It coils around her like a choking python taking her the air to breathe. Her heart is beating hard and irregularly, her mouth is dry. _‘I am loosing it.’_ It’s her last thought before the walls of the room narrow down her conscious.

When Carrie wakes up, it takes her a while to regain orientation. After a couple of minutes she gets on her knees holding herself to the bed. She is breathing heavily. Grabbing the bedcovers she slowly moves to the nightstand where she is keeping her lithium. She reaches for the box but it slides off her hand and the pills are spreading all over the floor. She grabs a few and swallows them without water.

The impact of the pills relaxes her body soon. She rests against the nightstand breathing deeply. Her thoughts are dealing with the conversion she had hours before.

_‘Fuck you Quinn.’_ It had been odd to talk to him and ask for his help. But she had no choice. He is the best for the job. _‘Beggars can’t be choosers.’_

They have not talked since their clash two month ago. Carrie is wondering if Quinn has recognized the uneasiness and tremor in her voice. His replies to her have been cold and businesslike, no sign of emotions or dismay. _‘Cause killing is his business. Emotional cripple that’s what I had called him.’_ She is ashamed of these words, but she would never concede it.

***

Under favor of night a shadowy figure is poking along a wall which surrounds a white mansion. The street lanterns which are usually lightening the area have been vandalized a few days before. At a certain point the figure stops and scales up the wall unperceived. The silent intruder moves to the mansion’s left side where an arcade loggia makes it easy to access the first floor. The windows inside the loggia are unlocked. It’s an easy entrance and a quick silent killing.

The intruder approaches the bed of person he has just murdered. In the light of his flashlight he assures himself of the dead man’s identity. But his mission is not finished yet.

The intruder accesses the dark hallway that separates the rooms from the inner courtyard. The silence is absolute. No one bars his way as he moves on to the next target. The room he is finally entering is the master bedroom. It is much bigger than the first victim’s chamber. An impressive four-poster bed with partly drawn curtains catches the hitman’s eyes. He sneaks closer the gun with the attached silencer pulled for the next strike. Only few silent steps then he’s close enough to catch a glimpse of the snoozing sleeper inside.

_‘Holy shit.’_ Peter Quinn looks down on the guy he has been ordered to take out. He is sleeping like a log. A very satisfied log because beside him lays a girl. Her hip-length black hair surrounds her nudeness like a blanket. She has a delicate, perfect body. Her full breasts are tight. Her small hips turn into endless slender legs. It is difficult to guess her age. Her gorgeous face looks very young and innocent.

It takes Quinn only seconds to decide his next steps. He raises his Glock 17 and sends Hamid Akbari to god.

The reaction of the girl comes immediately. But with the tight grip of Quinn’s hand on her mouth there is no chance to scream. Then he kneels on her for further control while the gun is aiming at her heart. With horror in her dark brown eyes she is looking at the weapon and at him. He is staring back at her. The cold cruel look on his face makes it clear that she will be dead in a second if she is un-cooperative.

“Ârâm. Stay calm. Nothing will happen to you.” He is telling her. When her body starts to relax he eases the grip of his hand. And when he is sure she will not scream he is getting up from her. But he keeps aiming the gun at her. As a sign of trust he hands her a sheet to cover herself.

_‘What a beauty.’_ Quinn watches her while she is hiding her nudeness. She looks back at him very timid and fearful. But she stays calm waiting for his next steps.

Quinn knows he has to plan his escape quickly. With the eyes still on the girl he is moving to the window. He is looking outside. What he sees doesn’t lift his spirit. In the dark he can recognize a couple of armed Bassidschi troopers, maybe 6 to 8 men. They are standing around, chatting and smoking together. _‘Too many to take them out without alarming the whole neighborhood.’_ When withdrawing from the window he suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder.

“Jesus!” Quinn jerks. He has not heard her coming. _‘Like a ghost’_ , he thinks. The girl takes a short look outside. Then she softly pulls him back into the direction of the bed. _‘This starts to get interesting.’_ He raises an eyebrow. But sex is not what’s in the girl’s mind. “Dstgâh brwn rft.“ She points at a huge mirror beside the bed-head. _‘A secret exit?’_ He looks at her with surprise, but doesn’t move. The girl sighs and turns back to the mirror. She starts pushing it aside. But it’s too heavy for her. She cannot stir it.

Quinn puts the gun back into the holster and together they manage to push the mirror away. A grey door appears but as he tries to open it, it’s blocked. There is a little hole on the left side of the door. _‘Maybe I just shoot it open?’_ But before Quinn is able to take his gun out, the girl grabs his arm. “No, no. Âelâm chtr.“ She points to the ceiling. _‘How does she know this?’_ But no time for second thoughts. The girl is already moving back to the bed. Without hesitation she is reaching for her dead lover. And with a power Quinn wouldn’t have expected she is tearing something from the corpse's neck. It’s a delicate golden necklace with a tiny key.

When the door is opened it reveals a steep staircase. Quinn is taking a short look. Then he pulls the gun and points the girl to go downhill. He is following on her lead anytime prepared to shoot if necessary.

It is a long way down. And it’s quite dark. Only few emergency lamps are lightening the steps. The staircase is leading into a tunnel. _‘We must be under the house by now.’_ Quinn senses are running high. The girl comes to halt. “Don’t stop. Move on.” He ruggedly pushes her forward.

After 300 yards the tunnel makes a left-turn. Another few yards it ends. Above his head Quinn recognizes a gully. The gate to freedom.

Quinn slots his gun and stares at the girl that rescued him. He is trying to read her face. But it is too dark to see her facial expression. He cannot take her with him. _‘Not the proper way to move through Tehran if you’re just covered with a sheet.’_ So he only tells her very softly “Thank you for her help, my little angel. But you have to go back to the house and leave this place.” He is not sure if she has understood his words. But suddenly she turns and moves away. _‘Like a ghost. Chdâ hâfz.’_

***

Twenty minutes after Peter Quinn’s lucky escape another black figure exits the gully and strolls down the street. The face is covered by a motorcycle helmet. A black Mercedes S-Class stops beside. The figure waits until the rear window slides down. Then he bends toward the unseen passenger. “All done as you have wished. The fish has bitten the bait. Now we have to take it out of water.”

“Make sure it’s done painfully. I want a long tasting of victory.” The passenger giggles from inside.

“Slow and painful. You can rely on me.” He bows the masked head as sign of strict obedience.

“No doubt on that.” The laughter broadens.


	4. U-turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's the fuck is going on at Langley?

Peter Quinn has arrived at the hotel after dumping the weapon. He knows he has to inform Carrie about the mission’s results but he is not eager to meet her.

_‘Debriefing can wait.’_ He decides to take a shower first.

_‘Cleaning my soul.’_ Or just preparing for an unpleasant confrontation.

***

It is past 5:00a but still dark outside. The big city has not yet awoken. Carrie Mathison is back on her restless tiger pace. The wait for Quinn’s call is not working well on her nerves. But it’s not the concern if the mission has been successful. She knows she can count on Quinn.

Carrie simply doesn’t know how to deal with him. She fears the confrontation.

_‘The best strategy is avoiding the whole issue. It’s his turn to start the talk.’_

She knows she’s wrong. But self-deception is her best line of defense. It will always be.

The burner phone rings.

“All done. Mission completed.” It’s all what Quinn is telling.

“Can I come over for debriefing?” She is asking.

“2116.” Is the only reply.

***

Quinn bites his lips to suppress the ache inside him. Twenty minutes later Carrie is knocking at his door. With a sigh he opens and let her in.

“So it went well? Any encounter of resistance?” Carrie is all businesslike.

“Not what I had expected” is his short reply.

“What do you mean?” She is looking at Quinn if there is any sign of rejoice. But his eyes are simply cold, his face deadpan.

“There was a girl.” His voice sounds husky.

“What girl?” She tries to stay cool. But Quinn recognizes her sizzling tension.

“The lover of Hamid Akbari. She was sleeping in his bed.”

“Did you kill her?” There is a big question mark in Carrie’s face.

“No need to do so. She was naked.” He waits the Vulcan to explode.

“Jesus, Quinn. Can you just tell me what happened?” She is pissed off by his arrogant attitude. _‘Fucking idiot.’_

Her emotional tantrum has no impact on Quinn. He stays cold and reserved. He gives her an overview of the main facts. He ends with: “She basically saved my life.”

“Hopefully they didn’t catch her.” She is trying to read his face. _‘Is he caring for the girl?’_

“Yeah. Hopefully.” Another short reply. His gaze is still cold and unemotional.

“You are flying back in the morning?” Carrie is trying to start some sort of small talk but she feels awkward about it.

“Plane is leaving at 9:00a.” Quinn is sitting down on the bed. He stares at his folded hands. “I turned in my notice.”

Carrie sits down beside him. “So you are done?”

“Yeah.” He’s staring at an invisible point in the room.

“Any plans for the future?” She asks softly.

“Going back to Philly. Trying to work things out. With my son and his mother.” He is looking back at his hands.

She puts her hand on his. Her thumb is touching him. “Everything will be fine Quinn, you will see.”

But the warmth of her hand and her friendly words don’t comfort him. He tries to control his upcoming unwanted feelings. Biting lips again. _‘Jesus. Don’t let her see what I am feeling.’_

And Quinn’s luck is on his side. As usual Carrie Mathison has the wrong timing. Before her hand is tearing down his inner walls, she gets up. “This is a good-bye then?” She looks down at him.

Now Quinn’s looking back at her. She can’t see the sadness in his eyes. “Yeah. It’s a good-bye.”

***

Back in her room an exhausted Carrie Mathison bursts into tears. _‘What have I done?’_

***

The plane has departed on time. Quinn didn’t get much sleep last night. So he is looking forward for some cozy sleep in his business class seat. _‘Some red wine and a sleeping pill will do the rest.’_

The pilot announces that the plane has left the Iranian aerial surveillance. It’s the signal for the women in the plane to take off their headscarves. The noisy activities wake Quinn up. He looks at the back of a tall woman who is trying to put her chador into the upper storage. But she drops it. As a real gentleman he picks the scarf up and reaches it to the woman.

Their looks meet. _‘Holy shit.’_

This is the girl of last night. On the second look he isn’t sure about it. She looks different. Her eyes are bright blue. Her black hair is shorter and she looks older. He’s searching for a sign of recognition on her face. But there is nothing. She takes her chador. “Thank you for your help.” The beauty of her smiling face is breathtaking. But her accent is all American.

***

The next morning Quinn is still thinking about the strange coincidence when he is arriving at Langley. Entering Dar Adal’s office he sees his boss in talk with Lockhart and an unknown woman turning the back at him.

“Peter. Come in. May I introduce to my daughter Alina?” Adal shines over the whole face.

Quinn nods at Lockhart. Then he turns to the woman. And his world is turning. ‘ _What the fuck is going on?’_

“Nice to meet you, Peter.” Her beautiful smile is a knowing one. She is the woman of the plane. And for sure she is the girl he met at Akbari’s mansion. He has no doubt about it.

***

Carrie is back to Istanbul. She is still sleeping when her burner phone rings.

“Yes?”

“It’s me.”

“Quinn?”

“You need to come. Something weird is going on.” The sound of Quinn’s voice is alarming her.

“You said you’re done. We said good-bye.” This is confusing.

“I know. But things have changed. Carrie, I need you here. There is no one else I could involve in this.” He is waiting for her answer.

“I take the next plane.” She sighs. _‘What the fuck is going on at Langley?’_


	5. Reset Mode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to normal?

Quinn is picking up Carrie at Dulles International Airport. There is not much talking until Quinn breaks the silence.

“Any questions about the reason for your sudden return?”

“Nothing specific. I told Adal that I want to spend few more days off with my family before Christmas break.”

“Did he buy it?”

“I believe so. It’s just another week. I promised him to show up at Langley to discuss Javadi’s situation.” Carrie is looking at him. “Can you tell me, Quinn. What’s going on?”

But Quinn is not ready to let the cat out of the bag. “Let’s bring you home first.”

Carrie stays silent for a while nervously playing with her fingertips. But suddenly she is begging. “Quinn, please. Can we just drive to my old apartment? I am not ready for the lion’s den.”

Quinn’s answer is a knowing smile. “As you wish, Carrie. Works for me.”

***

Carrie’s place looks lonely and abandoned.

“You want a coffee? It’s old but it works.” Without waiting for Quinn’s answer Carrie starts to prepare a coffee. _‘Last time I made him a coffee it ended in a mess.’_

“Said something?” Quinn peeks into the kitchen.

“Just offering a coffee.” She is watching his face if there’s any restraint. But there is none.

With coffee mugs in their hands they are sitting down on Carrie’s sofa facing each other.

This time it’s Carrie who breaks the silence. “Now tell me. What’s the matter? It seemed to be very important.”

Quinn takes another sip of coffee. “Remember the girl at Akbari’s mansion?”

“The naked beauty? How could I forget her. You seemed pretty impressed.” She is rolling her eyes in played sympathy.

“She’s here. At Langley. She is Adal’s daughter.” He waits for Carrie’s reaction. Her face speaks volumes. That’s a surprise.

“Are you sure about that?” She is asking doubtfully.

“Absolutely.” Quinn starts telling her about the woman in the plane. How big his surprise was when she showed up at Langley. How stunned he was when she was introduced to him as Alina Adal.

“But you say you were not sure at first. You say she looked different. And it was dark at the mansion.” Carrie is not very much convinced. It’s written all over her face.

“The color of eyes was different. Alina’s are bright blue. Her hair is shorter.”

“So you are not sure.” She interrupts him.

“I am sure, Carrie. I saw it in her eyes. The way she looked at me. She was sending a message.” Quinn is losing his temper.

“I thought I am the maniac.” Carrie is shaking her head in disbelief. “Did she reveal that she has been in Iran?”

“Adal did. He told me she had been visiting her grandma in Tehran.” He is remembering the strange conversation with Dar Adal. “ _You both must have been on the same plane, Peter._ ”

“Did she say something about the encounter in the plane?”

_“I didn’t notice you, Peter. What a pity.”_ He is shaking his head. “No, she didn’t confess that. And of course I didn’t ask her why she was fucking a Bassidschi military leader in that damn fucking house.”

“Calm down, Quinn. I am just trying to piece things together.”

“You still don’t believe me. Maybe I would react in the same way. But I haven’t told you how she’s earning her living.” Quinn can still hear Dar Adal’s voice. The voice of a proud father.

Carrie is waiting for him to proceed.

“She is a NSA information analyst. So tell me, what has she been doing in that damn house at that special night?”

***

Alina Adal is sitting in front of a laptop at her Bethesda apartment. She is typing eagerly on the keypad. Suddenly her picture pops up at the screen. “Let’s make my CV a little more NSA casual.” She’s continuing her typing until the result conjures a wintry smile on her beautiful face. “Game on.”

She starts typing again until the image of a younger Peter Quinn is filling the screen. It’s his black ops background check. Alina reads it carefully. “That’s interesting. We will see how we can use this.”

***

Carrie is the first who is speaking again. “What’s your proposal then?”

Quinn hesitates with his reply. “Let’s put surveillance on her.”

“Without an official permission?” Carrie is staring at Quinn with surprise.

“Who do you want to ask? Adal? Lockhart? I don’t think we can trust them at this stage. First we have to get an idea what’s going on.” Quinn looks back at Carrie. “Can I count on you?”

“Sure you can, Quinn. I am used to causing a peck of trouble. First time you are joining me.” Carrie is smiling at him. “But we cannot do this all alone. It’s only the two of us. Let’s get Virgil and Max involved.”

“Can we trust them? We are moving on illegal grounds.”

“Yes of course. Virgil is my oldest friend at Langley. I would entrust my life in his care. He and Max helped me observing Brody when no one believed me. And they didn’t ask if I got the permission.” Carrie’s confidence convinces Quinn.

“Ok. Then let’s get them involved. But first I will drive you home.” He is getting up without waiting for her answer.

***

There is no further talking as they are driving to Frank Mathison’s home. Quinn is carrying her luggage to the front door when they have arrived.

“Prepared for the lion’s den?” He winks at her with a friendly smile.

“You want to come with me?” Carrie’s eyes are begging for his support.

But this time Quinn is not willing to help her. “It’s your turn, Carrie. I am sure you will survive.”

“Fuck you, Quinn.” She barks at him truly disappointed. But he is already on his way back to the car raising his hand as a good-bye.

***

Alina Adal picks up her ringing cell phone from the nightstand. She has gone to bed already to read some papers.

“Yes?” She is listening to the caller’s voice. “That sounds great. See you tomorrow evening. Have a nice sleep.”

You can tell by the smile on her face that she is satisfied with the latest development.

***

Carrie is sitting on the bed in the guest bedroom. Her little daughter is resting beside her. Her tiny hands are quivering in the rhythm of an unknown dream _. ‘She looks so peaceful.’_

A feeling of happiness is calming Carrie.

“Everything ok?” Her dad is peeking through the door.

“She is sleeping. Look how she is moving her hands. Must be an interesting dream.” Carrie’s face is showing a rapt smile.

Frank Mathison is smiling back at his younger daughter. “She’s a great kid. Always friendly and relaxed. Never much screaming unless she’s hungry.”

Carrie is gently touching her daughter’s belly. “She is just gorgeous.” Then she is resting down beside her baby.

_'Thank God! She is finally bonding to her.'_ Frank is leaving the peaceful pair.


	6. The armament

Quinn is resting on his spartan camping bed. It’s still dark outside but he hasn’t slept a wink yet. Too many unsettled thoughts are running through his mind. It has been weird to meet Carrie and talk to her again. She has been acting just professionally as if there had been no bitterness and estrangement between them. He is wondering why she hasn’t recognized his nervousness. _‘Maybe she attributed it to the case.’_

He knows he has to hide his unwanted feelings. At their encounter in Tehran it had been easy for him to stay cold and unemotional. Because the destructive words she had thrown at him in her house were constantly hammering in his head. Only when she put her hand on his he was close to losing it.

The new case gives them a chance to go back to some sort of normality.

_‘I have to respect if she is keeping her distance. I will keep mine. There is no danger in working together if we leave it at that.’_

But this strategy might not be a long-term success. When Quinn closes his eyes he imagines Carrie’s face and her touch on his hands. _‘Fuck!’_

***

Quinn is not the only one who is mapping out a strategy for caution’s sake. Carrie has been awaked since she fed her daughter. Quinn’s request for her immediate support has confused her. But she is professional enough to realize that he did the obvious he could.

_‘He still trusts me.’_

She is eager not to disappoint him. Not again.

_‘Maybe this case gives us the chance to restore our relationship. Being friends again. I just have to show that he can rely on me.’_

She takes a last look at her sleeping baby when a new plan comes to her mind.

***

The next morning Carrie’s apartment isn’t lonely and abandoned any longer. It is show time for Virgil and Max who are turning the living room into a high tech control center. Supervised by an inpatient Quinn they are connecting plenty of lap tops, recording devices, screens and wires. “All set up for the big party. So what’s next?” Virgil is waiting for his orders.

“Take Max and drive to her house. Install eyes and ears in each room. And be careful. She is a NSA agent. She might have implemented some surveillance cameras or motion detectors for uninvited intruders. I would have done it.”

Virgil grins at him with a knowing smile. “Sure you would. Guess you are an expert. Come on, Max. Let’s go to Bethesda and see what our NSA lady is hiding.”

***

“All set up?” Carrie is entering her apartment.

Quinn is staring at the computer screen. “I am waiting for Virgil’s call that they are done. They left an hour ago.”

“Maybe they have to wait until she is gone.” She is staring at him, but he is still not looking at him. It’s irritating her.

But a yawning noise from her direction pulls his attention to her. He looks at her. His eyes are widening by surprise. “What’s the hell is this?”

“That’s a Bjorn. It’s practical. Oh, and this is my baby. May I introduce to my daughter Alexandra Nicole Mathison.” Carrie smiles about his astonished gaze.

Quinn leaps on his feet at once. He is looking down at the awaking baby girl who is nestling against her mother’s breasts. He has not expected to see her that soon. It’s written all over his face. “She has grown.” He stares at Carrie’s relaxed face.

“I thought I take her with me to give my dad some spare time. I hope it’s ok with you.” Carrie is sitting down on the sofa. She is opening the Bjorn and tries to take her daughter out.

“Do you need help with this?” He points at the Bjorn watching Carrie’s useless efforts to free the baby.

“Maybe you can pick her up while I am opening that thing?” Their eyes meet.

Carefully he bends down and takes up the little girl. He is resting her in his strong arms. With softness in his voice that Carrie hasn’t heard before, he starts to entertain the baby.

“Hi, my little sweetie! How big you are already. And how beautiful. Look at that smile.” He smiles at the toothless yawning baby.

_‘That works better than I thought.’_ Carrie is satisfied with the outcome of her plan. She is heading to the kitchen.

“I am preparing her bottle. If she gets too heavy, you can rest her on her baby blanket.” She points the blanket she has put on the carpet.

But Quinn is paying no attention to her. He is all occupied by the precious bundle in his arms.

***

Alina Adal has waited long enough to make sure she is been watched as she leaving her house. She knows that Peter Quinn will put surveillance on her. And the idea of being watched by him thrills her.

_‘I will give him a show he is not going to forget.’_

***

Virgil and Max carefully scan the neighborhood before breaking into the Alina’s place. There is no security or hidden traps outside the house. It’s the same inside. Alina seems not to be scared of gatecrashers. Everything looks just harmless. It’s an old-fashioned and cozy home as you wouldn’t expect from a young woman like Alina. It’s southern charm surprises Virgil but he keeps his mouth shut.

It takes them an hour to install all cameras and bugs. They are choosing the hide-outs with great care to make sure they cannot be found easily. When it’s done Virgil calls Quinn. But it’s Carrie who answering the call.

“Surveillance is on. Do you get a picture and sound?” He is asking her.

“See and hear you clearly.” She replies.

“What happened to Quinn?” He’s wondering if there is a problem.

He can hear her chuckles. “Come over and see it with your own eyes. The great Peter Quinn has been overpowered by a little girl.”

***

Carrie ends the call and looks down on the floor. She is smiling at the cute picture. Her little daughter is snoozing on her blanket as well as Peter Quinn who is protecting the baby in the crook of his arm.

Carrie giggles again and takes on her observation place.


	7. New bugs in town

Virgil is watching the screens which display the different views of Alina’s apartment when Carrie is returning.

“Something of interest?”

“She just has returned from work. It seems she’s preparing for a date.” Virgil keeps his eyes on the screen. “She is not acting very suspicious to me. A nice peep show of a hot body that’s all.” He is pointing at the screen where a woman in exquisite black lingerie is checking her wardrobe. “What’s so dangerous about her? I am wondering if she is not only one of Quinn’s maniac love interests. We are wasting our time.”

Carrie is rolling with her eyes. “Maybe you are right. But somehow I trust his sense on that. Just be patient! Where is Max?”

“He’s in the observing van. Will be on Alina’s heels when she is meeting her date.”

“And Quinn?” Carrie remembers Quinn’s overhasty pullback when Virgil caught him with the baby.

“Hasn’t called yet. Still licks his wounds, I guess. Difficult times to keep up a tough black ops image.” He giggles.

“Don’t be mean, Virgil.” But Carrie’s severity in her voice is only played.

***

It’s 8:00p when Alina Adal enters the Green Pig Bistro in Arlington, VA. She is wearing a black zip-front trench dress which shows off her endless legs. Max carefully peeks through the restaurant’s windows to catch a view of her and her date but it’s impossible. She has vanished into a booth.

***

Quinn is back at the apartment where Carrie has settled in for the nightshift.

“How is it going?” He sits down beside her.

“Max’s still outside the bistro. She hasn’t shown up again.” She takes a glimpse at him.

“So it will be a long night?” He smiles at her.

“Like some Indian food? There is a new delivery service.”

“Finally acquired a taste for it?” His smile gets broader.

“Just want to please a faithful colleague.” She jokes with him and touches his arm. But the serious look on his face kills off her flirting mood.

Without a word he turns back at the screens.

***

Max is still waiting. Guest after guest is leaving the restaurant but no sign of Alina and her companion. It’s already past midnight when the latest guest locks down the door. He’s checking around the corner but her car is gone. “Damn.”

He dials Quinn’s number.

“Yes?”

“She’s gone. Must have taken the back entrance.” Max waits for his rage.

“Fuck. What a fucking shit.”

***

“What happened?” Carrie returns from the kitchen.

“Max blew it. Alina escaped through the back entrance.” Quinn bangs his fist on the table.

Carrie sits down again. “More waiting time then.”

***

An hour later the screens at Alina’s apartment awake to live.

“She’s coming home.” Carrie hustles Quinn who is snoozing beside her. At once he is awake.

“Someone is with her. Shit, it’s too dark to identify him.”

They are watching Alina as she is pushing the man into her bedroom. He tumbles towards the bed while throwing off his jacket and shoes. Then he drops on the bed. They still cannot see his face because it's covered by a lampshade on the nightstand. Immediately Alina is over him. She rips off his shirt and starts kissing and biting his chest. Her kisses proceed down to his belt. Her hands reach for the buckle of his pants. And off they go. Her waves of hair are covering his lap but his deep groaning reveals his pleasure.

“Please, Alina. Don’t stop it.” But regardless his wimpy begging she stops to take a look at him. Due to the darkness Carrie and Quinn cannot see the details but the man’s hard gasps let assume that Alina’s hand is working on his erection. Then she straightens up and slowly sits down him. She’s still fully dressed. But now she starts to unzip her trench. She’s wearing a bra and hold-up stockings. No sight of her panties.

“Naughty girl.” Quinn comments unnecessarily.

Alina starts slamming her hips back and forth. Suddenly she stops again and reaches for the nightstand’s drawer.

“Looking for condoms” is Carrie’s first guess. But she’s wrong. Alina pulls out something that looks like a small bottle. “What’s this?”

The man is asking the same. “Trust me. It gives you more pleasure than ever before,” is Alina’s short reply. She opens the bottle and dips a finger into it. Then she puts the finger into the man’s mouth. “Suck it.” He does what she request.

“Maybe it’s cocaine. Some people use it for sex purposes.” Quinn knows that from his cartel times. But there is no reply from Carrie. She keeps staring at the screen.

Meanwhile Alina has pulled off from her lover’s erection. Again a finger dips deep into the bottle. Slowly she starts to encircle his cock massaging it with the mysterious fluid. Then she moves back on him and the pressing starts all over. “Just a second and you will feel it.”

The man’s breath comes hard and short. Then his body starts to quiver in ecstatic moves like he is grilled on an electric chair. Wordless screams of excitement escape his mouth while his hands are scratching Alina’s rapidly moving hips.

“This is a maniac sex game.” Max has returned from his observation tour.

“Agreed. It’s her game. We still have no ID on the guy. His face is covered by the fucking lampshade.” Quinn replies.

“I installed another camera from a different angle.” Max reaches for the laptop. Another picture pops up on the second screen. “Get up. I might be able to zoom closer and light it.”

Quinn switches his place with Max and stands up.

It takes Max only a minute then the picture shows a bright close-up of the man’s distorted and sweating face.

“Holy shit. It’s Lockhart. Alina is fucking asshole Lockhart!”

***

“This is weird.” Carries speaks it out first.

“No objection to that.” Quinn is tearing his hair. “What’s in her mind? Fucking Lockhart to worm some secrets out of him?”

“Doubt it. Don’t forget she’s NSA. She could easily get into the CIA computer system without permission.” She replies.

“Did we miss something? How is this linked to the Tehran mission?” Quinn sits down with a deep sigh.

Together they focus on the screens again. The vigorous sex encounter has stopped by now. Lockhart seems to have passed out. They can hear his weak snoring. Alina has a much better condition than her bedfellow. Motionless she’s sitting on the bed observing Lockhart’s sleep. After a while she’s getting up and walks through the room.

Quinn is still stunned by the perfect line of Alina’s body. He watches her as she’s reaching for Lockhart’s pants. She searches the pockets. Quinn straightens his back and moves closer to the screen. Carrie can feel his increasing tension.

A purse appears in Alina’s hand. She investigates its content. A picture, maybe of Lockhart’s family, seems to attract her attention. She takes it out. Her other hand reaches for her wrist watch and then back to the picture’s backside.

“Is she applying something? Carrie, she’s applying something!” Quinn is shouting now.

“Maybe a new kind of bugs?” She is asking back.

“A bug of this size? In a purse? Never seen a bug that flat. The signal would be too weak inside the purse. Jesus, what’s her fucking plan.” Quinn starts biting his lower lip.

As if she could see his confusion Alina smiles into the invisible camera. And the purse returns to its place in Lockhart’s pants.


	8. Good enough to fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on a real MQ-9 Reaper crash which happened at Lake Michigan in November 2013.

The following day is boring surveillance routine. Alina is behaving well, too well. Quinn’s nerves are all on edge. His behavior toward Carrie and the others becomes increasingly aggressive. Carrie worries that he has lost his professional distance to the case. She is also wondering if there is a case at all. Besides her profession Alina seems to be just a normal person. Each morning she leaves for work and returns late at night. No suspicious phone calls, no meetings with obscure strangers.

“Fucking the CIA director isn’t a crime.” Carrie tries to calm Quinn down. He has been pissed off by Virgil’s comment on the mission’s absurdity.

“But searching his purse and bugging him could lead to one.” Quinn’s eyes are bloodshot. He looks tired as if he hasn’t slept for days.

Carrie touches his arm. “I am concerned about you. You look like shit. Go home, get some sleep. I will stay as your backup.”

Quinn’s stiff face is softening by her words. He puts his hand on hers. His touch is warm as is the feeling inside her. He looks at her with such intensity that she hasn’t recognized before. She isn’t sure how to respond. Suddenly she feels weakly and weakness isn’t something that Carrie Mathison can deal with. So she wrests her hand from his and turns away from Quinn’s piercing glance.

Now it’s Quinn’s turn to lose his way. He isn’t used to spill his guts to another person. And Carrie’s alternating behavior isn’t an invitation to do so. With a significant notch in his self-confidence he prepares to leave. He is already on his way out when Carrie’s voice stops him.

“Quinn, wait!” He turns back to her, waiting, hoping again. She moves closer just few steps. Not close enough to bury the emotional gap between them. “Promise me to take care.”

***

Quinn isn’t willing to go home and get some sleep. His mind is too upset to rest. Carrie’s voice and the feeling of her touch are occupying his thoughts. He decides to visit a fancy bar at downtown DC. It’s a place with a high potential of distraction.

_‘Getting drunk and flirting with some stupid chicks is what I need now.’_

It works well with the drinks. But the flirting hasn’t been successful yet which isn’t a surprise. Quinn looks too grim and repellent to attract the light-minded ladies at the bar. From time to time he is looking at his phone which he has placed in front of him. Suddenly he feels a female’s hand on his shoulder. Ready to brush her off, he turns to the woman and shrugs. It’s Alina Adal.

“Hi, Peter. Never would aspect to meet you here.” She smiles at him.

“It’s a fancy place. And I don’t care where I got drunk.” He replies sharply not able to reply her smile.

But Alina isn’t easy to scare off. “You are in need to get drunk? Who’s bothering you?”

"No one specific.”

She laughs at him. “I don’t buy that. Your face speaks volumes.”

She’s ordering a drink. “And another drink for this miserable guy.”

“I’m not miserable. I am only tired.” He gets angry at her cheerfulness.

“Peter. I am a woman. I can tell if a guy is heartbroken. Who is the lucky girl?” Her face shows her empathy.

Quinn doesn’t answer her last question, but sends another murky look to her.

Alina gets the signal. “Let’s drink together. I promise I will keep my mouth shut.”

***

Alina is a good entertainer. She tells him jolly stories about her teenage years and how it had been to be the daughter of a CIA agent. Quinn cannot imagine Dar Adal as a loving father. But Alina assures him that she had a wonderful childhood.

“My dad has always supported me. Even when I told him that I want to become a NSA agent. He taught me to be open-minded and respectful. I am trying to follow his advice.” Quinn is captivated by the candid look on her face. He cannot help it he’s starting to like her.

***

Few drinks later the alcohol in Quinn’s blood pays its tribute. His head feels like it’s bursting, his vision is blurred. Alina’s moves are slow like his as she pulls out her phone. She starts to type something. Is it a message?

Alina giggles about her drunken clumsiness and after few seconds she stops her efforts. She puts her phone beside Quinn’s. The sight of the two phones touching each other somehow arouses Quinn.

It seems Alina feels the same attraction. Because suddenly she leans over to Quinn, craps him by his shirt and kisses him deeply. It’s a kiss full of relish. Hungry. Demanding. A feeling of lust starts creeping through his body.

It has been nearly a year since he had been intimate with a woman. His yearning for quick and meaningless sex somehow stopped when he first met Carrie. Her mixture of toughness and vulnerability as well as her increasing trust in his reliability has forced him into the role of a selfless neuter. Alina’s kisses kick this all away. Suddenly he feels like a man again. A man with a desire just to fuck a woman without courtesy.

Alina giggles into his ear when he licks up her throat. “Shall we go to my place?” She asks breathless.

“No, that takes too long. Can’t wait to give it to you.” He replies with a husky voice.

She laughs again. “You naughty boy. Just follow me.” She gets up, grabs the two phones and moves towards the restrooms.

***

What follows is the ecstasy of two creatures shagging each other like there is no morning. Breathless, senseless, no commitments, no regrets. All they want is to satisfy their lust. And satisfaction is easy to gain when Alina is pulling the strings.

***

Deep in Alina’s bag two phones have started their own encounter. It’s a violent infiltration unnoticed by his distracted owner. Like in the human world Alina’s phone is in the directing chair. And while the sex act gives Quinn back his confirmation as a man, his phone is too weak to fend off its cyber penetration.

***

“Thanks.” It’s all he is able to say when they have finished.

Alina smiles supportively. “Don’t thank me. There might be a bitter end.”

She starts to clean her body with the tissues of the towel dispenser. Before she leaves she hands his phone to him. “In case you get a call from your girl friend.”

***

At the nearby Bolling Air Force Base in Washington DC an unarmed MQ-9 Reaper on a training exercise gets an unexpected signal. The Reaper is one of the U.S. military’s mainstays for surveillance and remote attacks. Later the commander in charge will state that the weather was “good enough to fly” and that he cannot explain why the drone crashed into a corn field.


	9. Fucked up

“You are such an emotional cripple.” Carrie’s face is blurred by rage. “Look at yourself. You have to admit it.”

She grabs his hand and pulls him to a huge mirror. Her nails pinch into his wrist. But he doesn’t feel it. He is too stunned by Carrie’s angry approach. He wants to tell her: “You are wrong. Can’t you see what I am feeling? What I am feeling for you?” But no words are coming out of his mouth. The lump in his throat makes it impossible to speak. He wants to prove her that he is able to feel. With hope in his heart he looks at his reflection in the mirror. But he sees no loving man. There is only a creature with dead eyes, his face covered with a layer of wax.

“I’ve told you.” It’s the look of her face enlightened by her triumph that breaks his heart. His hope is gone. He is left with nothing.

***

Quinn wakes up with a sense of horror. His heart is pounding heavily and he is covered with sweat. He can’t remember the last time when he had a nightmare like this. Because he never dreams.

He looks at the clock. It’s almost morning. In one hour he will get up and return to Carrie’s place. Somehow he is scared to face her. Before he is able to make up a plan his phone rings. It’s his boss, Dar Adal.

“Peter?” He sounds like he is in rage.

“Yes, Sir. “ Quinn wonders if Adal somehow got knowledge about Alina and him. ‘This day starts like shit.’

“There has been an incident close to Glen Echo, Maryland. A MQ-9 Reaper crashed into a car.”

Quinn sighs with relief. The call is only business. He rises from bed. “Any casualties?”

“Only one person.” Adal waits a second before he continues to talk. And when he speaks again his voice sounds truly shaken. “Quinn, it is Lockhart. His car was hit by the fire blast.”

***

Quinn isn’t surprise to meet Carrie at the scene. As there are plenty of other agents as well. It seems that the whole CIA has somehow gathered to stare at the smoking leftovers of Lockhart’s black SUV.

“I didn’t like him very much. We had our issues. But he hasn’t deserved an end like this.” Carrie’s face is darkened with a mixture of anger and sorrow.

“We will find out who did this.” Quinn replies softly. He feels no sorrow for Lockhart. Not at all. The man has been an asshole. But his agent instincts are eager to find out the reason for his sudden death.

“You think it was an act of terror?” Carrie looks at him her eyes wide open. She starts to move back and forth. Her hand is tearing at her hair as if she wants to pull out the truth. He watches her closely.

“The Air Force officials are sure that some signals were manipulated to change the drone’s flight coordinates. They don’t know how it worked but our experts are working on it.”

“Hopefully it’s possible to trace the signal back to its origin.” Carrie is now shivering in the morning’s cold air.

“We will see. Let’s get back to Langley. Adal is waiting for us.” Carefully he takes his arm around her and gently moves her back to the car.

***

At conference room 1 Adal is giving his agents a status of the investigation.

“Whoever did this has a great knowledge of GPS signaling.” He ends the meeting and gives Quinn and Carrie a sign to follow him to his office.

“You both go to the Air Force Base and watch those army guys. I want to make sure that we get all information we need.”

“You don’t trust them?” Quinn’s face shows no emotions.

“Peter, like you would trust them!”

***

There is a hectic activity at Bolling Air Force Base. Quinn overseas the efforts of the CIA’s signaling specialist who has joined the army team of experts. The group works on researching the trace of suspicious signals that had sent the Reaper on its deadly mission.

On the other side of the room Carrie is questioning the officer who had command the drone’s training flight. The poor guy is clearly in a state of shock. Quinn can hear his constant singsong: “The weather was good enough to fly. The weather was… ” As if bad weather condition had misled the Reaper.

“Sir, I think we found it.”

Quinn’s senses are immediately on alert. “What we got?”

“We identified the cell phone which had sent the key signal to the Reaper. The same number had sent other signals, maybe to Lockhart’s car. There must have been a GPS device at the car which had diverted the drone from its original coordinates to the new target.”

The agent hands him some sheets of paper where a couple of numbers has been highlighted within a sequence of numbers and cryptic signs.

His colleague (Quinn wonders if he has forgot his name) asks if he wants to know the origin of the number. But there is no need for Quinn to get this information. Because the number he is staring at, is the number of his own burner phone.


	10. Confession day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confessions are good for the soul.

Quinn orders the other agent to return to Langley. “Keep this a secret. I will inform Adal about what you’ve researched. We will check later whose number this is.”

“Must be a CIA guy.” The agent replies.

Carrie watches the departure of the specialist. When her eyes meet Quinn’s she can tell how upset he is. She excuses herself to the officer and approaches Quinn.

“What we got?” She is looking curiously at the papers in his hand.

“Not here. Let’s go.”

***

Carrie is speechless when she is looking at the numbers.

They are sitting in his Durango at the air base parking lot. Quinn is at the driver seat, hands gripping tight at the steering wheel as if he needs something to hold on.

When she finally speaks, her voice sounds husky. “How could this be? This is your number.”

“It’s a setup.”

“Yes, I know. But how?”

“It’s Alina’s work. She trapped me.” He is still holding the steering wheel.

“Oh no, Quinn. She wasn’t even close to you. How should she have been able to manage it?” She looks at him with increasing uncertainty. What has he done?

He knows he has to tell her the truth. Cause she trusts him and deserves his honesty. But he is scared how she will take it.

He takes his hands down. His voice is trembling when he starts to speak. “I met her at a bar last night. After I left you.”

“What? Why?”

“I thought it was by chance. That we met by chance. That’s how it began…”

“How it began? You chat with her? Shared some drinks? And what else?” Her voice is now icy. She watches him closely, examining his body language, the hints his body is giving to her.

He looks down his hands. Bites his lips. Breathes deeply. Unable to speak up and to confess it.

But Carrie doesn’t need his confession. She can read him. Catches his vibes.

“Quinn.” She is whispering his name. “You fucked her, didn’t you?”

He nods, still not able to look at her.

The silence between them feels horrible. She is waiting for him to speak up.

“Quinn.” The urge in her voice is forcing him to look at her. He can see that she is angry. She has the right to be upset. He blasted their mission. His moment of weakness and lust had killed Lockhart.

Another urgent “Quinn” compels him finally to confess. “I fucked her. Shagging her in the ladies restroom. Forgetting everything around me.”

She is shaking her head. “I can’t believe it. Virgil was right. You are obsessed with her. From the very beginning when you saw her in Tehran. Must have been such a relief to spill inside her.”

“I wore a condom.”

His weak excuse provokes her to laugh sarcastically. “Now I am relieved. You’re such a dick. Wearing a condom doesn’t make it better.”

He has no reply to that.

“So she got inside your phone while your dick was inside her? Funny.”

“I am sorry that I hurt your…” he is not able to finish the sentence.

“Don’t you dare to put this on me! You are the one who is fucking around.” She stops him angrily.

“I’m not fucking around, Carrie. It was the first time in a year, since I …” He hesitates.

“What, since you what? Look Quinn, I am not interested to discuss your love life. It’s not my business. I just want to clean up this mess.”

“What do you propose? Return to Langley and confess everything to Adal?”

She sighs. “No, not the right time. He would grill your dick.”

_‘Like you did with me.’_ He thinks amused.

“And we don’t know how he is involved. Alina is his daughter. He may not believe you. Then it’s your ass that’s nailed down. We can’t risk it.”

“We?” It gives him comfort.

“You’re my partner. I mean you are a fucking idiot, but I believe in your innocence. Let’s drive. I know a place where we can collect our thoughts.”

***

He feels uncomfortable again when they arrive at their destination. Carrie’s cabin is not the right place to give him peace. He has been here before. He recalls how he watched her making love with Brody. A memory that has haunted him. He remembers how he sneaked through the woods to kill Brody. How he disobeyed his orders to save her.

He is breathing the fresh air, the scent of the woods. Instead of following her to the cabin, he walks to the stage. The stage where Brody had been praying to his God. The place where he was supposed to shoot him.

He waits for her to follow him.

“It’s breathtaking. Isn’t it?” She steps beside him as he looks at the lake.

He looks at her intensely. The fresh air blushes her cheeks. She looks beautiful. “Yep! Breathtaking.”

Quinn knows he has to tell her. She deserves his honesty. Even if his final confession would perish her trust. He is scared like never before. Telling her that he fucked another woman has not been easy. But telling her that he nearly killed the love of her life, the father of her child. He doesn’t know how to begin.

Maybe it’s the expression on his face. Or maybe it’s just the stiffness of his body that arouses her suspicion. Or maybe it’s simply Carrie’s great instinct to empathize with other persons.

“What is it Quinn?”

“I have been here before.” His voice is just a whisper. But she gets immediately the point.

“You’ve been here?” She steps closer. Her gaze is piercing him. “You watched me and Brody, right?”

He nods as an answer.

“You watched us making love?”

A bite on his lips confirms it.

“You were following us for the reason of…? Her eyes narrow as she waits for his answer.

He needs to confess it. “I had the order to kill Brody.” 

“On whose order?”

“Estes.”

“Who is luckily too dead to confirm it. Did you have the order to kill me as well?”

He is shaking his head. “Carrie, I disobeyed the orders. I didn’t pull the trigger because it would have served only Estes’ purpose. To cover his ass.” He’s grabbing her arms.

She is laughing again. It’s a bitter laugh without any joy. Then she wrests from his grip.

“Lucky me that you have somehow a conscience. Or maybe you’re just a pervert psycho who forgot what he was sent for while he was watching two people having sex.”

With a last loathed look she leaves him at the stage.

***

It’s been hours but Quinn is still standing on the stage, his gaze at the peaceful lake.

 When it starts to rain, he retreats under a tree _._

_‘It’s a lie that confession is good for the soul. I feel like shit. Carrie will never forgive me. I fucked it up.’_

The rain gets heavier. It soaks through his clothes, but he doesn’t feel it. His body is numb.

Another hour goes by and it’s getting dark. Suddenly Carrie stands in front of him. She grabs his arm and pulls him under her umbrella. “Come inside. I need you alive.”

His rain-drenched body leaves a puddle of water on the cabin’s floor. He watches Carrie as she fetches some towels and a blanket. She hands them to him. “You better take a shower to warm up. You can wrap into the blanket until your clothes are dry.”

When he doesn’t move, she pushes him towards the bath room.

He does what she has told him. He strips his wet clothes, warms up under the shower, he towels himself off and finally wraps into the soft blanket.

Back in the living room Carrie orders him to take a seat in a huge armchair near the fire. Then she sits down on the opposite couch. There is a revolver on the table in front of her. He’s staring at it. _‘What’s in her mind?’_

“Don’t think you are done with your confessions. I want to know the whole story.” She points at the revolver. “I will question you. If you are telling me lies, I will shoot you.” She waits until her words sink in. “I won’t kill you. I don’t give this mercy to you. But I will hurt you. Don’t hope I am a bad shooter. I know how to handle this gun. You understand me?”

He looks at her without emotion. Then he nods as a reply.

Carrie is holding his gaze until he looks down at his hands. She isn’t sure if she strong enough to go through this. Would she be able to shoot him if he puts up a fight. But Quinn seems to be paralyzed. _‘Hopefully there’s no need to harm him.’_

“What was Estes covering up?” A harmless question to warm him up.

“He and Walden had been involved in a drone strike in Iraq that also killed civilians.”

“The one that killed Nazir’s son Issa?”

“I think so, but Estes didn’t give me the details.”

“Does Adal know the orders to kill Brody.”

“Yes, he was the first who gave me the information.” Quinn looks up at her waiting for the next question.

“Why did you disobey the orders. You know that Brody was guilty. You have seen the video. You were aware he was a danger.” She is piercing his gaze down.

“I’ve told I didn’t want to cover…”

“Bullshit, Quinn. Don’t force me to use the gun.” She knows there is another truth. Quinn doesn’t look at her, but she sees the strain in his face.

“I didn’t want to kill Brody because of you. Because it would have destroyed you.” He glances back at her.

“How fucking canny of you. So you tried to protect me.”

He nods.

“Why? Why you wanted to protect me?” She gets up to her feet.

“You were my team member.”

“A team member who you barely knew.” She closes the distance between them.

He stares at his hands again. Licks his lips.  She stands now in front of him. Piercing him with her intensive gaze. The revolver is still on the table. Suddenly she put two fingers under his chin. Forcing him to look her into the eyes.

“You’re such a bad liar, Peter. Or is it John?” Her fingers are burning on his skin. But he is not answering.

She starts caressing his cheek with her thumb. It’s soft and comforting. _‘She’s changing her tactics.’_ It reminds him of her interrogation of Brody. It’s admiring.

“Tell me your real name and I will leave you alone.” Her fingers are wandering downwards to his throat and further to the loose ends of the blanket. A soft movement and the blanket slips down, uncovering his bare chest. He holds his breath for a moment when she touches him there. The sensation of her fingers on his naked skin arouses him. He closes his eyes and devotes himself to his feelings.

“Tell me.“ She’s whispering in his ear. Her lips are so close that he almost feels them. And her caressing fingers slip inside the blanket. Downwards to his pelvis, to his hardness. “Tell me. And I will give it to you. I will fulfill your dreams.”

These words kick him back to earth. He looks into her eyes. Searching for a sign of feelings. But all he sees is her cruelty, her triumph. _‘This is like my fucking nightmare.’_

It cost him a lot to finally reply to her. “I am not telling you. Even if you hurt me. I am not telling you.”


	11. Cutting glass

They stare at each other: Quinn with a mixture of aggression and arousal, his pupils highly dilated, Carrie with scoffing amusement, her hand still at his belly. The tension between them is tangible.

The ringing of her phone breaks the moment. She takes her hand off him and returns to the coffee table. She watches him closely as she answers the phone, the revolver within reach.

“Yes?” She stares at Quinn, who stares back as she’s listening to the caller. “I understand.” And some seconds later: “Yes, for sure I will.” Her hand reaches for the weapon. Her face is showing no emotion. “It’s time to go.”

Quinn keeps his eyes at the gun, considering his options. He skips the idea to jump at her, because that would mean to drop the blanket.

“Get dressed.” She’s waving the revolver and points to the bathroom where his clothes are drying.

With his eyes still on the weapon he does what she demands. His clothes are still damp as he grabs them from the bathroom radiator. “No, leave it open,” she orders him as he attempts to close the door for some privacy. Cursing his lost chance he drops the blanket and starts to dress in front of her. Her blunt stare at his nakedness makes him angry. Or maybe he likes it more than he would admit himself.

“Do you enjoy this?” He hisses as put on his briefs.

She answers with a knowing smile.

“Fuck you, Carrie.”

“You’re welcome.”

When he’s done, he steps out of the bathroom.

“You know the procedure, Quinn.”

Sure he knows. He turns and puts his hands at the wall, then spreads his legs wide and lowers his head. She searches his jacket, removes his knife (the very knife he had used with Brody). Then she goes on with his trouser pockets and legs. Thoroughly and pleasurably slow.

She ignores his furious protest that there is nothing to find. Instead she twists his arms on his back and handcuffs him.

“Move it!” She pushes him outside. The cold night air on his damp clothes makes him shiver.

“Are you going to shoot me?” She doesn’t answer, but grabs his arm and hales him all the way to the car.

“Get inside, Quinn.”

“You turn me over to Adal?” His voice is filling with bitterness. His hands are still handcuffed behind his back as he sits down. She steps on the backseat, opens his right handcuff and forces his arms behind the car seat. He hears the snapping of the handcuffs again. Then she is gone.

***

He waits for Carrie for nearly an hour. And with each minute he’s waiting for her, he gets more and more furious. Panting with rage, he tries to tug at his bonds. His arm muscles are wrenching, the handcuffs are cutting into his flesh. But there is no way he could escape. Carrie knows her business. Finally he bangs his head at the head-rest, over and over again. Cursing her with every dirty word he knows, until he is drenched in sweat and cold in his heart.

She finds him silent, with a look of hate in his eyes which she ignores. Instead she puts the well-known blanket around him.

They are not talking through their night ride. Quinn tries to get some rest, but it’s not possible. His arms are hurting until he cannot feel them any longer.

Twenty minutes ahead to Langley, he begs her to open the handcuffs. “There’s no need to treat me like this. I will not run away.”

As she doesn’t reply, he goes on. “It’s your pay back for Brody, isn’t it?  I accept that you’re done with me. I earn no better. But you know I haven’t done it, I haven’t killed Lockhart.”

“But you fucked Alina, despite knowing better. Just for some thrusts of satisfaction.” She doesn’t sound angry or even rancorous, when she speaks those words. It’s a soft statement, nearly friendly. But it stirs up his rage again. Because it reminds him of what they have shared two hours ago. Those moments of intimacy, where he nearly lost it.

“At least she did satisfy me.” He yells at her.

Carrie turns her head to look at him. For a short moment he’s sure, his words have hurt her. But then she laughs at him. “Sure, Quinn.”


	12. A ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another unpredictable twist

It’s around midnight when they arrive at Langley. They are awaited by two grimly looking agents who lead Quinn into interrogation room B. They force him to sit down and secure his handcuffs with the little iron ring in front of him. After that leg cuffs are attached around his ankles and locked by another iron ring. Then they leave him alone.

Five minutes later Carrie is entering the room and sits down on a chair left of him, but Quinn ignores her. He is staring at the opposite wall.

They stay in silence until Dar Adal enters the room. Carrie jumps to her feet and puts Quinn’s burner phone and the stack of papers on the table. Adal stares at the marked numbers and then at Quinn. “My dear Peter can you explain this?”

“I can’t.” He stares back. “And I know nothing about it.”

“Really. Is this the case, Peter?” Adal smirks at him.

No move. No answer.

“Well Peter, somehow I don’t believe you. Just a little feeling in my balls.”

“Your balls are telling the wrong.”

Adal slaps one hand on the papers, annoyed by Quinn’s stoicism. “Maybe you’re right. But this is telling a different story.”  He points at the papers.

No move. No answer.

Adal is pissed off now. “You’re such a dick. Where have you been the last days?”

No move. No answer.

Adal starts a new effort.

“Carrie told me how much you hated Lockhart.”

It’s a clear lie, but Quinn’s loathed look at Carrie proves it. He is buying it.

“She’s lying. I didn’t like him very much, but I’m not the only one in this room. I had no reason to kill him.”

Adal snaps at him: “You were pissed off, how he fucked over Saul. You were pissed off, how he fucked over your precious Carrie. How he betrayed her and risked her life without a blink of the eye. You were pissed off, how he kept your dick away from Istanbul.”

Her surprised gaze reveals. It’s a new truth for Carrie. But it’s not impressing news for Quinn. His years of working as a stone-cold hitman pay off.

”There’s nothing I will tell you.”

End of moves. End of answers.

Adal is rising to his feet. “I promise you, Peter. This time I will nail your ass at the wall.”

And he leaves the room without a look back.

***

Carrie stares at Quinn. Reminiscing what Adal has spoken. _‘… your precious Carrie … he kept your dick away from Istanbul.’_

His silence makes her nervous. She’s searching for his eye contact. He ignores it. She would like to say something, but doesn’t know how to start. Because his stiff, empty gaze tells her. He is not in the mood for small-talk.

***

The vibration of Quinn’s burner phone is breaking their freezing. They both look at the dancing phone, then their eyes meet. “Who the fuck has this number?”

The phone is out of his reach. But Carrie quickly takes it and puts the speaker on. They both stare at the lighted, but empty screen. No identity of the caller, no one is talking. Nothing at all.

It’s just a second. Then a video is starting. It shows a young, black-haired woman and a little boy. They are sitting on the floor of an empty room. Maybe a cellar? The woman’s hands are tied at her back, her eyes are looking horrified. There are some cuts and bruises on her beautiful face. The little boy is sleeping in her lap.

Quinn turns deathly pale, his eyes are widened by shock. “Oh my God. Julia. John!”

The video suddenly stops. The screen is empty again. Another second later a voice starts to talk. A voice that freaks him out. Because he knows her quite well. It’s the voice of his little ghost. The woman who was whispering dirty words in his ear, while he was fucking her the previous night. It’s Alina Adal.

 “If you want to get your son and ex back alive, you better listen. You have 40 minutes to get back to your house. You will find a note. It tells you, what you have to do to save their lives.”

“I can’t.  I am in custody of the CIA.” Quinn is yelling at the unseen caller. Desperately he starts to tear at his handcuffs.

The voice chuckles. “Ask the fucking CIA bitch that stands beside you. She better finds a way to get you out there. Or I will kill your family. ”

The screen turns black. The ghost is gone.


	13. Hit and run

Without the blink of an eye Carrie acts. Her flat hand gives his nose a hard punch. It starts bleeding.

“Fuck, Carrie. Are you out of mind?” Quinn’s screaming. “You broke my nose.”

“Shut up. You will be fine.”

She storms out of the room and returns with one of the guys who brought him in.

“I have to take him to medical care.”

The agent takes off the leg cuffs and opens the ring which secures the handcuffs. When he is about to attend them, she tells him: “It’s ok. I take him.”

She guides him through the floor, around the corner, anxiously watching if someone is crossing their ways. She keeps him moving until they reach the emergency staircase. She pushes him through the door.

“Hurry, we don’t have much time till they recognize that we’re gone.”

They run down the staircase and escape through the emergency exit. Quinn’s car is still at the visitor’s parking lot. Carrie opens it and they both jump in.

At top speed they leave Langley.

***

“You’re bleeding.”

“Yeah fuck, you hit me.”

With one hand on the wheel she searches her jacket and hands him a tissue.

He takes it without a word and presses it against his bleeding nose.

“Tell me where to drive. We got only 30 minutes left.”

“Just keep north on George Washington. Then turn right on Highway 495, across the river until exit 41, turn on Clara Barton Parkway East. I live at Glen Echo Park, Oxford Avenue.”

She accelerates to top speed.

“Can you open this?” He holds up the handcuffs. “Please!”

Without hesitation she hands him the key.

***

They arrive at his house right on time.

Quinn jumps out the car. Carrie follows close on his heels. At the door she pulls the revolver, ready to cover him.

His apartment is empty. No one is waiting for them. The loneliness of the place is increased by the nearly lack of furniture.

Carrie absorbs everything: The wobbly table with a single chair, the small mattress on the bedroom’s floor covered by a green sleeping bag, the lack of any personal item. _‘This place looks like a camping site.’_ But she doesn’t comment.

The note lies on the kitchen counter. There’s an unfamiliar cell phone beside it.

Quinn grabs the note, reads it and turns pale again.

“What it says?”

He doesn’t reply, but hands it to her.

There are only three lines on the paper.

 

**_Saul Berenson_ **

**_Fara Sherazi_ **

**_Carrie Mathison_ **

 

It’s a fucking death list.

They are looking at each other.

The cell phone starts dancing on the counter.

It’s the same like before. The screen is lighted, but no identity is shown. It’s simply empty.

Quinn turns on the speaker.

The ghost voice of Alina Adal is filling the apartment.

“I give you three days to kill those people on the list. Or your son will bleed out.”

“These are my colleagues, my friends. I can’t do it.” He screams at her.

The ghost’s laughter echoes at the empty walls. “You have to make your choice. We all have.”

 “I can’t...” He starts again, but his voice is breaking.

 “Keep the new cell phone with you. No tricks on that.”

The screen turns black.

End of discussion, end of elusion.


	14. Philly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's getting emotional.

The terrified look on Carrie’s face, mirror of his own horror, freaks him out.

“Carrie, please!” He is pleading. “You know, I won’t do this.”

His hand is twitching as he reaches out for her.

Maybe it’s a reflex, but she backs off. He stares at her with desperation.

Her hand is tearing at her hair. Her eyes are wandering around, avoiding his gaze. She turns around to the door, moves two steps to it. She hesitates, turns back to him, facing him.

Then she closes their distance, reaches out for him, puts her arms around him.

‘Clever girl.’ He returns her embrace, pulls her close enough. Answering her fake play. His head lowers to hers.

“You got any weapons?” He feels her warm breath at his ear.

“A Glock 17, a rifle.” He whispers back, holding her tight.

“A rifle? Long distance?”

“Yeah.”

“Get everything, enough munitions, maybe some clothes.” She touches his cheek.

While he is packing, she takes her burner phone, removes the SIM card. She repeats the same with his burner phone.

Time to go on the run again.

***

Carrie drives them to her secret storage place, where she picks up fake papers, money, some clothes and a prepaid phone.

“Let’s drive to Philly.” She tells him. “Maybe we find a trace.”

It’s only a small chance. Quinn doubts that they will find a thing. But he doesn’t have a better idea. And they can’t stay in the area. It’s too risky to be tracked down.

***

Quinn directs Carrie through a suburban area of Philadelphia, until they arrive at a big yellow house. She wonders how he knows where to go, but keeps her mouth shut.

It’s still dark outside. Julia’s house looks abandoned. They’re checking the streets for unwanted look-outs, but the neighborhood is sleeping.

Quinn uses a picklock to force their way into the house. Silent and with their guns pulled they move through the house. In the master bedroom they find a body. Carrie uses a torch to light the scene.

“That must be Julia’s husband.” Quinn is checking if there are any vital signs. But there’re none. The guy is already dead since hours. “Clean shot in the head.”

The bedroom shows evidence of a fight.  There are few blood spots on the floor in front of the bed, some at the dresser.

“I think, she first shot the husband. After that she went after Julia. Maybe she tried to escape or reached for her weapon. Alina knocked her down. Here are more blood spots.” Carrie points to the door.

They follow the trace of random blood spots which suddenly ends at the opened garage door. There’s no car inside.

“That’s the way how she escaped with them.” Carrie points to the empty garage.

“Alina took the car. That might give us a slight chance to track her down.”

Carrie’s attention is drawn to something on the garage shelf. She takes a short look at Quinn, but he hasn’t recognized it. While he returns inside, she picks up a little black box and quickly hides it in her jacket.

There’s no blood in the kids room. It gives him hope that his son hasn’t been injured. 

They investigate the house thoroughly for a second time, but there’re no additional hints. It’s frustrating.

***

Back in the car they decide to take a room for the rest of the night. To get some sleep. They both are exhausted.

The Motel room is shabby. But they don’t care. It meets their need.

***

“You think they’re still alive?” He sits beside her on the bed, wearing nothing but his shorts.

“They are her dead pledge. To make sure that you do what she demands.” She avoids looking at him, ignores his bare chest and shapely legs.

“I ain’t doing it. She must be aware of it.”

“Maybe she is. I doubt she would hesitate to play her cards.” 

“That’s not good.” He sighs.

“As long as she thinks you’re playing her game, they’re safe.”

He lets her words sink in. Thinking of his little son and Julia who are the hand of this evil.

***

 “You know what’s weird?”

 “Hmm?” She peeks at him. _‘Take a deep breath and relax.’_

“To return to Philly to such fucking mess.”

“It has been a long time, right?” She takes another glimpse at him. _‘Fuck, Carrie. Take your eyes of him.’_

He stares at his hands.

“Four years. Since John’s birth.”

“What happened?”

“I fucked it up. Thought that I couldn’t take responsibility. Thought that I would be a burden for them. That they would be a burden for me, for my fucking job. Thought that they would be better off without me. I left after a huge dispute, telling myself that she didn’t want me there. Sending them monthly pay checks instead.”

“It’s difficult for people like us to commit to a normal private life. It’s first the job, the CIA, the Nation. The higher bit. We’re obsessed with it. It thrills our life. Family comes last.” She looks him in the eyes.

“I thought the same. I loved that thrill too. Each successful mission, each fucking terrorist I killed, each wall I climbed, gave me that kick. It filled my life, satisfied me. At least I thought it would. But it has changed.” He stares back with such an intense that she gets a little bit nervous. Alarm bells start ringing.

“You killed that kid down in Caracas.” Back to the facts. Relieve the tension.

“That’s not the reason. Maybe it has an influence. But at one point I’ve realized how empty I feel. That killing bad guys, doesn’t give me happiness. That being close to someone, caring for someone, being loved by someone, is the only asset that counts.”

Another intense gaze from his glossy blue eyes. A gaze that wanders from her eyes to her mouth. And back. A slight move closer. An increased breathing. Or maybe it is her breathing.

Time to cool down. For both of them. To get some rest. To bury all bad thoughts.

Her voice is trembling as she promises him. “We will find them. I bring your family back to you.”

It’s a gushy, emotional statement, but it does its bit.

To cool them down. To get some rest. To bury all bad thoughts. For both of them.


	15. Dreamer

Carrie is waiting until Quinn is sleeping. Then she slips out of the bed, puts her jacket on and leaves the room. She jogs around the motel where a black van is waiting in the shadows.

“Here is his phone. You got something?” Carrie takes a short look at the monitors.

“Yeah, there is a way to send her on the wrong track. I’ve written a program to duplicate his SIM. We can use this to create a fake signal.”

Max opens Quinn’s phone and takes out the SIM card. He puts it into a device which looks like a phone. It’s connected to a laptop which starts working when Max types something on the keyboard.

“That’s perfect. We can pretend that Quinn’s doing what she wants him to do, while he is somewhere else.” A plan is forming in her head.

“How is he coping?” Virgil comes closer out of the shadow of the van.  He takes a short look at his brother’s progress.

“He’s quite shocked. I hope I can keep him on track.” She pulls a small black box out of the pocket of her jacket.

“What’s that?” Virgil takes the box out of Carrie’s hand.

“It once contained the navigation system of the husband’s car. There is an ID number inside. If the GPS signal is still sending, you might able to locate the car.”

“You think, she’s that stupid?”

“It’s only a small chance, but we should try.”

Max puts the SIM back inside Quinn’s phone and hands it to Carrie.  

She nods the brothers a quick good-bye and vanishes into the black night again.

***

A warm breath on his face makes him aware of her presence. Then he feels the sensation of her fingers that are caressing his bare chest, putting his whole body under immediate tension.

‘ _God damned. What’s in her mind? Is she going to play with me like she did in the cabin?’_

Maybe, because her fingers start to follow the lines of his tight muscles, move downwards to his stomach. It’s great and intense, giving him a warm itching feeling inside.

He would love to hold her, touch her back, but he can’t move his arms. Is he tied up? He doesn’t feel any bonds. Or his arms. Or anything of his body beside the parts that are inflamed by her touch. And it’s too fucking dark to see a thing.

No time to think about it. Because her fingers are now wandering further down to his pelvis. Leaving a burning trace on him. He holds his breath when they slip under the waistband of his boxers, stroke his pubic region. His prick starts to tighten like it’s been pinned by voodoo needles.

A sudden stop. It drives him mad. He presses his buttocks against the mattress to release some pressure. It doesn’t help a lot.

She’s waiting for something.

 _‘Does she expect my begging?’_ Because he feels reluctant to beg her, to give her that little victory. Instead he lifts his buttocks towards her to signal his readiness. Back and forth.

His world stops for a second when she suddenly grasps his hardness. The soft force of her fingers encircling the tip of his crock drives him wild. Wilder than ever before. And wilder than in his dreams.

‘ _Because it’s her?_ ’

There’s no blood left in his brain to think more than this. Because the stroking, squeezing, circling hand is all what’s left of him. Until waves of lust releases him and brings him back to present.

***

It’s the moment that he realizes. It all has been a dream. Just another fucking dream. A very wet one too. He has spilled out into his pants, covering himself with his own sticky sperm.

‘ _Like a damn teenager._ ’

He looks beside him. But Carrie is sleeping like a log. This should be a relief for him. But it’s not.

Bitterness and anger about his senseless yearning fills his thoughts until he feels the urge to vomit. He chokes it down. Cold sweat on his forehead and a heavy beating heart are the results. But that’s not all. Carrie is starting to wake up. Turning towards him, she asks him dozily:

“Quinn, are you ok?”

‘ _Fuck._ ’ He panics and flees the room. Into the safety of the bathroom.

Hastily he cleans himself, wiping his fluids from his pubic region. But a wet stain is left on his pants. Telling the story of the night.

‘ _Fuck, she will get this at once._ ’

For a moment he thinks about to use the blow-dryer. But a noise from the room makes him freeze.

“Quinn, what’s the matter?”

He looks at the moving door. He hasn’t locked it.

‘ _Fuck._ ’

With one jump he gets into the shower and turns it on. Just right before a sleepy Carrie enters the scene.

***

Carrie is really perplexed about the odd sight. Because Quinn is standing under shower, dressed in his boxers while the steamy water is running over his body.

“You really like to wet your clothes, do you?”

It’s an innocent question, but as usual she makes the point. The result is quite a shock. Quinn only comments with a short laugh. Then his feet cave in and he collapses on the ground of the shower.

“Fuck!”


End file.
